The present invention concerns a device for attachment and locking of modules onto a support, particularly for complementary electrical connectors designed to be coupled.
It concerns more particularly, a device furnished with a corrector device for attachment and locking of modules to be coupled onto a support.
In the case of connectors, connectors of the male and female type are most often understood as "complementary".
Numerous types of corrector devices are known, notably in the field of electrical connectors. The most current technique to which we have recourse consists of using connectors of asymmetrical form or having guide marks to be aligned.
The correction devices of the known art correctly fulfill, for the most part, the function that they are assigned. Nevertheless, they have limited [application] possibilities. In general, the only function assigned to these correctors is the prevention of a "reverse" branching of a connector of a first type, to be coupled to a connector of a second type, for example, a male connector and a female connector, or their only function is to obtain a good relative orientation of these connectors. This is, for example, in computer technology, the case for connectors used to establish connections called "serial" or "parallel", connectors in telephony or for transmission applications, connectors available commercially under the reference RJxx, a reference in which xx is a number representing the number of contacts that the connector has, or in the audiofrequency field, for plugs and sockets commonly called "DIN".
Nevertheless, in a complex connection system, for example, a mixing box in computer or telephone applications, different signal configurations exist for each connector, or at least for some of the connectors associated with this box, it is necessary to distinguish pairs of connectors, male and female, as configurations of distinct signals. It is obvious that the corrector devices that have just been described cannot resolve the problem posed, i.e., the correct pairing of connectors of distinct configurations.
Moreover, it may be necessary to modify the cabling, when the architecture of a system is developed, for example, the architecture of a computer network. Therefore, correction systems involving fixed solutions cannot be adopted.
Also, it has been proposed to use multiposition correction devices that can be modified as desired, so as to be able to select any one of these positions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,213 (THE BENDIX CORPORATION) describes a correction device of this type.
As has just been suggested, it is important for industrial applications to use connectors conforming to standards, or at least to actual usage. They must therefore be able to be adapted to numerous conditions of use, and notably to varied technological environments. In the above-mentioned connection systems, for example, mixing boxes, the thickness of the panels supporting the connectors, commonly called the basket support, can vary within appreciable proportions. It is important that connectors of the same type can be adapted to such variations in dimensions.
It is also desirable that the connectors mounted on said panel are removable, or at least can be detached, without necessitating complex operations.